In Argentina… fears of random and fatal plastic surgery
There is an increase in cosmetic surgery in Argentina, which is sometimes performed without any supervision. This reality was highlighted by the recent death of an Argentine actress who was suspected of having died as a result of side effects of surgery of this type.
Silvina Luna, who was 43 years old when she died, appeared on the Argentine version of the “Big Brother” program, and the blonde, blue-eyed woman then embarked on a career that combined modeling and television presenting.
In 2011, Luna underwent surgery to increase the size of her buttocks, but she suffered infections, complications, hypercalcemia, and kidney failure, which required her to be hospitalized for weeks waiting for a transplant, but she died at the end of August.
A woman holds a picture of the late actress, model and TV presenter Silvina Luna during a demonstration outside the home of surgeon Anibal Lutoki after at least two of his patients died due to complications after plastic surgery using methacrylate (AFP)
Her family’s lawyer, Fernando Borlando, said in early September, following an autopsy on her body: “No one can tolerate this amount of synthetic materials in the body,” noting that he saw how “a large amount of solid materials mixed with what appears to be human tissues were extracted from the body.” ».
The surgeon, Anibal Lutoki, who operated on Luna, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2022, but was released. He was also banned from practicing his profession for five years after he was convicted of “bad practices” towards four patients, including Silvina.
After the actress’s death, other cases that Lutoki treated, who became famous 10 to 15 years ago as a “celebrity surgeon”, began to appear in public, and was regularly hosted on television programs.
An increase of 20 percent in 5 years
In August, former dancer Mariano Caprarola died at the age of 49, as a result of acute kidney failure followed by a heart attack. He, in turn, underwent surgery on his buttocks, which was performed by Lutoki, whom the dancer accused of “injecting him with death.”
It turned out that polymethyl methacrylate was the cause of the death of the two former small screen stars.
Although this expensive substance is permitted in plastic surgery, it is only recommended in limited quantities and for very specific uses (teeth or prosthetic limbs). It is currently sold in Argentina.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, a plastic surgeon from Buenos Aires who preferred to keep his identity secret said that he had received previous patients with Lotoki whose body parts were “as hard as stone, as the needle would break if it was injected into it.”
The case of Silvina Luna, which aroused great sympathy in the country, revealed some of the weak aspects of the field of plastic surgery in Argentina, which has long been considered a center for plastic surgery in Latin America, along with Brazil and Colombia.
The president of the Argentine Society of Plastic Surgery, Edgardo Pesquert, pointed out that “there has been a 20 percent growth in plastic surgery in recent years.”
One of the reasons for this high rate is the exchange rate of the peso against the dollar, from which foreigners benefit.
Biskert stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic and social networks “changed the equation.”
He added: “Many people spent their days isolated, using the Internet and looking at themselves in the mirror for a long time.”
He continued, “Social networks and phones that include image modification technology can create facial changes without subjecting it to surgery, which has generated a great desire among people to resemble the modified images.”
Similarity to “altered image”
Maximiliano Gil Miranda, a surgeon who has been practicing the profession for 22 years, said in an interview with Agence France-Presse that he saw many patients who showed a picture of him and expressed their desire to resemble it. He had to patiently explain to them that this was not possible and that the “ideal” image was subject to modification.
He pointed out that he used to reassure dissatisfied patients after a successful nose surgery that everything was fine, but taking selfies in a certain way distorts the shape of the nose compared to a normal photo. He said: “Controlling things has become difficult…”
The specialist confirmed that prices have decreased in this field, making plastic surgery “accessible to all social classes.” On the other hand, doctors “who receive low wages are increasingly inclined to learn this specialty, which generates greater profits.”
Plastic radiology specialist Carolina Marilouis told the agency that the improved techniques and products that have become more available “have prompted a number of people who are not specialists in the field to enter it, and perhaps receive training in it.”
Its specialty is to monitor and evaluate possible complications of previous cosmetic surgeries.
She said: “My schedule is busy, which is an indication that, with the media covering cases affected by plastic surgery, people have become more aware in this regard, and are requesting an ultrasound examination to find out the nature of the product that was injected into their bodies.”
